Can We Know God, or Are We Just Creating Religions?

In the last few studies, I have explained why it is not only possible that God exists, but that He is necessary for the universe as we know it to exist. Without something eternal, reality has no foundation. Without that eternal thing being intelligent, there could be no process by which the universe could begin. The only logical conclusion is that there is a God.

But that is only the beginning. We may know that there is a God of some kind, but who is He, and what is God like? Obviously, God is eternal, intelligent, possesses great power, and is in control of creation. But can we know God?

Is it really possible for us not only to discover that God exists, but also to find Him, know His will, understand His nature, and build a relationship with Him?

We have yet to search out the depths of our own planet, let alone the universe—yet God created both. If God wants to remain unknown, hidden, and detached, there is no way we could ever hope to change that.

If God wants to be known, He must make Himself known. The question is: Has God revealed Himself?

Our Need for God

There is no shortage of religions or so-called gods. It seems that if we do not know God, we will often make one up. This pattern has existed within mankind from the very beginning. Across history and cultures, humans consistently develop beliefs in a higher power—even without exposure to organized religion.

This does not come from stories crafted to control people, nor is it some grand conspiracy. It reflects a fundamental reality of humanity: we instinctively recognize that something greater exists, but we do not automatically know who He is.

So we make our best guesses. We build altars to unknown gods because we sense that we are meant to worship—but we do not know who to worship. We are lost, seeking a God we can never find on our own—unless He reveals Himself.

That is why there are hundreds of religions. They represent man’s best effort to know God without having His revelation. Instead of relying on what He has revealed, we rely on our own ideas of what God must be like.

The result is a multitude of false religions, false doctrines, and confused people wondering which god is the true God. Obviously, they cannot all be real, since they often contradict one another. So who is the true God?

What is really at stake here? If there is an almighty Creator with His own will and desires, what does He want from us—if anything? This may be the most important question you will ever ask.

And only God Himself can truly answer it.

God Is Not Obligated to Reveal Himself

But here’s the catch: God must reveal Himself to us, yet He is not obligated to do so. And He certainly is not obligated to reveal Himself in whatever way we demand or desire.

Many people make the mistake of thinking that if God truly loves them, then He should do whatever it takes to make them believe. But they fail to realize that love is not obligated to pursue them—yet God does pursue us.

But He does so on His own terms and in His own way.

The common argument is, “If God knows everything, then He knows what would make me believe. So He must do that before I will believe.” But this is essentially saying, “I’ll only accept you if you prove yourself on my terms.”

That is not someone seeking evidence. That is someone trying to control the type of evidence they are willing to accept—it is an attempt to control God. This is where it stops being about evidence and becomes a battle for supremacy. And that battle is not going to happen, if for no other reason than to make it clear that God will not be subject to man.

Too many people try to “test” God. They demand that He answer prayer in a certain way, or that He perform some miracle for them. Sometimes it is simply a demand that God force them to believe or appear before them. But God is not an object to be tested. He is a being who will not be controlled—even if it means allowing you to walk away from Him.

Again, love does not have to pursue us. Instead, we must recognize its worth and pursue God ourselves. We take the first step toward Him through faith, and He will take the rest of the steps toward us.

How Do We Know God When He Reveals Himself?

The question then becomes: if God does reveal Himself, how will we know it is truly Him?

There are hundreds of religions, and people in each of them testify about their personal experiences. Some describe feelings or dreams—but such experiences occur across all belief systems.

If God has revealed Himself, there must be a way to know without relying on vague feelings or uncertainty. So what should we be looking for? What sets the true God apart from all others?

The evidence should be:

• Historical (not purely abstract or mythical)
• Accessible to anyone (not limited to isolated personal experiences)
• Consistent
• Externally verified (prophecy, history, etc.)
• Beyond what human imagination alone could produce

God Has Revealed Himself on His Terms

And God has revealed Himself—and His love for us.

This is what truly separates the God of the Bible from all others.

Yes, there are thousands of religions. But there is a reason the three largest religions in the world are connected to the God of Abraham. Christianity, Islam, and Judaism all lay claim to the God of the Old Testament.

This is because, unlike many other religions, the Bible presents claims supported by verifiable evidence. The God of Abraham is the only one who has revealed Himself in a way that is historical, accessible, consistent, testable, and beyond human invention.

His claims are tied to real people, real places, and real events—claims that can be examined rather than blindly accepted. They were made by eyewitnesses who were willing to suffer and die rather than deny what they had seen.

People may die for what they believe is true—but the first witnesses were in a unique position: they would have known whether their testimony was true or false. Yet they still chose to suffer and die rather than deny it. Later followers may die for beliefs, but eyewitnesses die for what they have actually seen.

We are not dealing with myths that developed over time, but with testimony given by those who claimed to see, hear, and experience these events firsthand—and who never recanted, even under threat of death.

The Gospels were written within the lifetime of these witnesses (roughly the first century). These claims were made publicly, in the same regions where the events were said to have occurred, within reach of those who could—and did—challenge them.

God has revealed Himself—but not on our terms. Not in a grand display, but in the humble testimony of fishermen and tax collectors—uneducated men who somehow changed the world. And that alone should be seen as extraordinary—something only God could bring about.

The question is no longer whether God has spoken, but whether we are willing to hear Him on His terms instead of our own.

The Bible as Its Own Witness

This is where the Bible becomes important.

A common mistake critics make is treating the Bible as if it were a single testimony from a single person. They say that you cannot use the Bible to verify the Bible—you need multiple witnesses. But the Bible is actually a collection of 66 books written throughout history by many different people.

While it is often said that you cannot use the Bible to prove the Bible, the reality is that it is not the Bible confirming itself. It is Matthew confirming Mark, Mark confirming John, John confirming Luke, and Revelation confirming Genesis. It is a collection of 66 different testimonies that can—and should—be used to verify one another.

And this is important. Sixty-six different testimonies, given across the centuries, all speaking about the same God in remarkable harmony (even if that harmony is debated), provide a strong case for the possibility that God has revealed Himself on His own terms.

That is why the Bible is one of the most criticized and attacked books ever known to mankind. It provides testimony to what may be the greatest revelation of all time. It tells us that God has made Himself known, and it tells us a great deal about Him. It is no wonder there are such strong opinions about it.

Because if the testimony in the Bible is true, then God has revealed Himself and His plan for humanity—a plan that includes a day of judgment and a way of escape. That means what we think about the Bible is extremely important.

The Bible Passes the Tests

The Bible does not simply invent events and places. The accounts it contains revolve around real locations, real time periods, and real people. Beginning in Genesis, there is a line of history that exists alongside the known history of the world (even if some parts are debated), rather than in isolation.

Archaeological discoveries have repeatedly shown that the Bible accurately preserves details about ancient cities, rulers, and historical events. In some cases, figures once thought to be mythical were later confirmed to be real.

Consider the following:

• The Pilate Stone, discovered at Caesarea in 1961, confirms Pontius Pilate as prefect of Judea.
• The Tel Dan Inscription, dating to the 9th century BC, references the “House of David,” providing extra-biblical evidence for David’s reign.
• The Taylor Prism, an Assyrian record from the time of Sennacherib, describes his campaign against Hezekiah and does not claim the capture of Jerusalem—aligning with the biblical account.
• The Hittites, once dismissed due to a lack of evidence, were later confirmed through the discovery of a major ancient civilization centered at Hattusa in modern-day Turkey.
• The Dead Sea Scrolls, discovered in 1947, contain Old Testament manuscripts dating as early as 200 BC and demonstrate that the text remained highly consistent over more than a thousand years.

These examples are only the beginning. There is an abundance of evidence supporting the Bible’s historical reliability. Even when it is debated, criticized, misunderstood, or reinterpreted to fit alternative narratives, it continues to stand.

While there will always be debates, the Bible is clearly anchored in the real world rather than myth. Its testimony firmly meets the first requirement of being grounded in known history.

The Bible is also unique in that it was written by multiple authors across long periods of time. It is not a single testimony, but many testimonies pointing to the same God. No one holds a private revelation that is unavailable to others. The testimony of the Bible is universal and consistent across time.

The Bible also contains detailed prophecies that would be beyond human ability to predict. These prophecies are not vague. They speak of specific people, at specific times, doing specific things, in specific places—often hundreds of years in advance. These fulfillments can be examined in history, and I will be addressing them in the coming studies.

Another point to consider is that the Bible is not something people would naturally want to write. We cannot tell the future. We do not like to admit our flaws. We resist submitting to authority. Yet all of these elements are found throughout the Bible.

And perhaps the most important point is this: God does not change from person to person. He is accessible to all, but subject to none. We may disagree on certain doctrines, but there is a shared recognition that God is holy, loving, and good—and that He has acted in human history.

I am not merely making assertions. I intend to demonstrate these claims as we continue through these studies. I am aware that these points are contested, but if you continue following along, I will address the questions and show that the God of the Bible is unlike any other.

We do not need to see a miracle or have every prayer answered. What we need is something beyond human ability—something that cannot be fabricated, manipulated, or explained away as coincidence. We need evidence of perfect knowledge of future events and authority over life and death.

So in the next study, we will examine how prophecy confirms that the testimony of the Bible is true.

Unit 1:6 – Which Religion Has More Proof OR

Return To Christianity 101 Unit 1 – The Bible and Faith in God